The Life of a Daiyoukai
by Angelicatt
Summary: ONHOLD For Priestess Skye's Seven Deadly Sins Challenge: Sesshoumaru's perspective of his hum-drum life and what he plans on doing to change it. Each oneshot is it's own individual story, genre will change throughout from ch to ch, will end as a S/K story
1. Sloth: Bored to Tears

**Title: **Bored to tears

**Words: **886

**Rating: **K+

**Prompt:** Priestess Skye's Seven Deadly Sins Challenge #1 – Sloth

**Summary: **Sesshoumaru's perspective of his hum-drum life.

**A/N: **Originally a Dokuga exclusive but I've since decided to share the stories on as well**. **Hope you enjoy.**  
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_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the mere sparks of imagination. Characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ Media et al. _Quote borrowed from the great Stan Lee.

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Every day is the same thing. I wake up hours before dawn, dress; eat breakfast and then go down to the dojo before the rest of the Citadel awakens. As I work through my katas, the movements having been ingrained into my sub-consciousness from young, the sun rises. It really is the only time I have truly to myself, unless I am asleep. I do cherish my solitude and the quiet peace of daybreak because I know the hours in between dawn and whenever I get to bed are always full with practical routine, mundane logic and the proper decorum required from a daiyoukai.

It is downright stifling sometimes.

Whoever said "With great power comes great responsibility" must have been referring to me specifically because it seems the greater the power I achieve, the more trivial the work I end up dealing with. I don't even remember where I heard that saying and I am surprised by that; since it is one of the few quotations that hold any parallel to my existence, unlike the other drivel that I am constantly subjected to. It takes great mental strength on my part, which I am thankfully fortunate to have been endowed with, to not see red while dealing with the insignificant and sordid matters that my advisers and lowly subjects whine about during our morning council sessions.

After the prescribed meetings, I head to my study, to start my long day of answering the mountain of scrolls that Jaken dumps on my desk daily. I am a demon who thrives on order but there is very little in the chaos of never-ending land disputes, trade agreements and dare I say it, mating requests. Some days I spend all my daylight hours within that room. My only comfort being that only a chosen few ever dare to disturb my toil; which gives me ample time, too much sometimes, to ponder my future. I am all but immortal and time is both my adversary and an ally. One can only plan so much for supreme conquest especially, when you have no control over anything outside of your realm. You never can tell which way the wind will blow or if fortune will smile in your favor. I sit there and sign my name over and over until mid-day or beyond before I break for lunch or sometimes dinner.

My mealtime's only source of enjoyment is the presence of my ward, Rin. The reasons I keep her with me are mostly unknown; but, lately I think it is partly because her exuberant personality and superfluous energy keeps me sane. I know Jaken thinks otherwise, but I have to admit, it is always highly amusing to see the little imp being chased or grumbling about being covered in flowers yet again – it is a necessary break in the monotony of these restless days. I would never admit to such a thing though.

At some point I will eventually head off to inspect the troops. If I am lucky, I get to admonish a select few but in these times of peace, there is not much else for them to do but train, train and train some more. I expect perfection but I am well aware that, that is an ideal that cannot truly be attained by any creature, save maybe myself.

But I am not perfect, no matter what the meaning of my name implies, the tedium of my life tells me otherwise – I am utterly bored for most of it. So it is not to any great surprise that I look forward to any skirmish I may find as I peruse my lands in my weekly patrols. Anything to get away from being behind a desk surrounded by people who's only purpose in life is to grovel to me. The waste…

There is only one other being that I have encountered in my journeys these past few years that revitalizes my senses, almost to homicidal tendencies at times. I would be lying if I said it was my half-brother, InuYasha. As if that hanyou could mentally or intellectually stimulate anything besides the disgust, remorse and general distaste that his existence provides. No, I, Lord Sesshoumaru, Daiyoukai of the Western Lands, am referring to none other than the half-breed's pack mate and the appointed Shikon Miko, Kagome Higurashi.

Never in my hundreds of years have I ever met a creature, a human no less, who exhibits such disregard for EVERYTHING. Her manners, her speech, her attitude and worse yet, her clothing and yet she possesses the ability to be articulate, intelligent, trustworthy, loyal, understanding and most of all, forgiving. I can not remember how many times I have tried to kill her, either directly or because of her proximity to that idiot hanyou during one of our scuffles; which I secretly enjoy, even if they never amount to anything. And still she has forgiven me, befriended me and tried to heal me on occasion. I just do not understand how she could have so much love for a life that has given her nothing more than endless heartache and insurmountable obstacles and still see the good in everything.

She told me once that I was "in a funk", I am unsure what exactly that entails but I am willing to find out.


	2. Envy: What about me?

**Title:** What about me?

**Words: **834

**Rating: **K+

**Prompt:** Priestess Skye's Seven Deadly Sins Challenge#2 - Envy

**Summary: **Sesshoumaru breaks down the dynamics of the Inu-tachi and wonders why he could not have the same.

**A/N: **It's taken me over 5 months to get this written but I promised Skye that I would finish the series. Gomen nasai everyone!

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the mere sparks of imagination. Characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ Media et al._

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I don't usually get much free time to myself. The responsibilities of a ruler always take precedent over one's need for independence and privacy. Regardless of this fact, when my nerves and patience are at the breaking point, I have no other choice but to escape. Not that there is any need to explain myself to anyone but I always use the excuse of having to patrol my lands in order to gain some quiet alone time, and perhaps a good hunt.

It was on one of these patrols that I happened to come across my half-brother's pack, or should I say the miko's pack; wherein, she lets the hanyou think that he's the leader, if only to assuage his massive ego and numerous insecurities – a lot of them I am personally accountable for instilling in him while he was still a pup. I regret none of it. Still the rag-tag bunch is larger than my own and quite efficiently managed, Kagome being the core of it all. Like the support beam for a thatched roof, the miko's personal connection to each member is the key for its past and continued success.

The female taijiya, probably the last of her kind, acts as both the older sister and closest confident to the younger, naïve miko. Accompanying the taijiya is the two-tailed neko, who provides a means of transportation and an excellent addition in battle; her loyalty and devotion to her mistress rivals that of any inu. It is rumored that the neko was once owned by the very same priestess that not only created but remains trapped in the damned Shikon no Tama jewel that the pack so valiantly searches for. It's no wonder that the neko exhibits so many protective traits to the current Shikon miko.

The hentai monk, cursed from birth, serves as the voice of reason and is quite the diplomat, when his hand doesn't veer from his side. I have often wondered if he truly enjoys being beaten by women for his lewdness or if it's because he is a male and knows no other way to express his obvious attraction to the taijiya in a serious manner. His sage advice and spiritual presence positions him as a mentor and older brother to the young untrained priestess.

The kitsune pup provides comic relief, as his species is known for and a diversion to the group. His familial attachment to the miko, gives her comfort and solace in a time and place where she feels most isolated. His constant bickering with the inu-hanyou; while childish and futile, has proved to further mature the elder, as he has come to realize that fighting with a child will only get him 'sat'. There is no winning when a mother is involved.

The last member of the miko's pack is decidedly the one I share the most history and the most disdain with: the hanyou, my half-brother. The boy is brash, thoughtless, lacks any social skills and could use a bath more than once a month. I often say that his life is mine to take but even I know that is an idle threat. Our great father, the last Inu-no-taisho would return from the dead to haunt me forever, if I were ever to truly kill off his offspring from the only onna he ever truly loved.

One would think that I hate him because of his mixed birth and that he is a stain on our father's legendary life and totally undeserving of our powerful Inu blood; but in reality it is because he was loved. Before he was even born, Father loved him and his human mother, going so far as to die in final battle with the human samurai, Takemaru of Setsuna on the day of the pup's birth. He was given the Fire Rat robe, the black pearl, which lead to father's final resting place and the most powerful sword created by father's fang, the Tetsusaiga. All I was left with was the useless Tensaiga, a crumbling shiro and the responsibilities of maintaining the vast Western Lands.

While I have no need of a pack, as I am far more powerful than the whole Inu-tachi put together, I do have my simpering retainer Jaken, the two-headed dragon Ah-Un and of course, my ward Rin but it's not quite the same. Kagome leads with compassion and understanding; while I obviously rule by fear and intimidation. It is not my fault that everyone is a lesser being to myself. The miko is no great strategist and is prone to clumsiness but there is unity and same-mindedness within her group, everyone sharing their opinions and ideas for the common cause. I am the judge, jury and executioner and everyone bends to my will but still it feels like I am missing out.

How pathetic has my life become that I find myself comparing and wishing to have what the hanyou has? He has nothing for be to be envious of…except the miko.


	3. Wrath: The evil that lurks

**Title: **The evil that lurks

**Words: **1,849

**Rating: **K+

**Prompt:** Priestess Skye's Seven Deadly Sins Challenge #3 - Wrath

**Summary:** Sesshoumaru vows vengeance for the deaths of his elders

**A/N: Warning: A couple gruesome death descriptions.**

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the mere sparks of imagination. Characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ Media et al._

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Sesshoumaru sat at his desk doing endless mind-numbing paperwork. It had been a few weeks since he had last been out on patrol and being stuck indoors during this turbulent monsoon season was doing nothing for his patience. Internally he was raging for an excuse, anything that would warrant him having to leave the shiro; the weather be damned.

They always said 'be careful what you wish for' because before he could sigh for the millionth time that day, one of his trusted spies appeared before him; staying only long enough to hand him a battered scroll before disappearing into the shadows once again. Unrolling it carefully, he sniffed cautiously and came up with the unmistakable smell of blood and bear. His golden eyes perused the shaky lines and he responded with a terrifying growl. Any servants or soldiers who were in a hundred yard radius of him shook in fear from the horrific sound.

'_Lord Sesshoumaru, by the time you get this scroll, I along with most, if not all of my generals and army will be dead; slaughtered by the hands of the biggest threat to our nation in over a millennium. We had no foresight into his plans to invade the Northern Lands or I would have evacuated more of my people in time. I fear the North may be completely lost but if you could see fit to avenge us by removing the scourge from existence, it would be most appreciated. Seek out Yōrōzoku, your former mentor, as his tribe was the last line of defense. May the Kami bless his dutiful attempt to protect land and kin._

_You are your father's son and I have faith that you will do what is needed to be done. _

_Respectfully,_

_Lord Takahiro, Daiyoukai of the Northern Lands'_

There was no need to question who the 'threat' was. Naraku was a dreaded blight to both human and youkai existence and his evil tainted the land with such malice and hate, that only a miracle would save Japan from rotting from the inside out. Now he had the nerve to attack and murder one of the four daiyoukai lords. It would seem that the kumo hanyou planned to weaken his enemies by systematically removing the biggest threats one by one. The Northern Lord was elderly, had no heirs and was under the inclination that the roughness of his territory would deter anyone from trying to invade. Obviously he had been wrong. Naraku would pay dearly for his crimes and Sesshoumaru had every intention of being there when it happened.

Sesshoumaru was under no obligation to do anything; but Takahiro's plea for him to seek out Yōrōzoku, the leader of Northern Wolf Tribe, a youkai who was both mentor and substitute father, in his youth, drove him to action. The Inu wasted no time before he turned into his orbed form and flew off in the direction of the northern boundaries. It would be entirely foolish of him to just traipse on in without any knowledge of his enemies' whereabouts.

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Within a couple hours he had traversed over three hundred miles of terrain, coming to set down on the invisible line that marked the three way intersection of the Northern, Eastern and Western Lands. The area was deserted; no signs of any battle and also no sign of any guards from any land either. It was clear that the enemy had them removed before they could alert the other lords and the recent rains had washed away any scents. The idea that he had been played irritated him and made his blood rush to his head.

He was so wrapped up in his anger, that he missed the approach of the wolves, until they were almost in reaching distance. Head spinning around, he made for his sword before a swirling tornado stopped in front of him, revealing the ookami prince, Kouga and the heir to the Northern Wolf tribe, Ayame.

The wolves bowed to him and when they stood up again, he saw the tear trails on the female's face. It all made sense to him now, glancing around and noticing that there were white wolves mixed in with Kouga's brown pack. She had escaped from the mountain top with some of her pack in search of help; heading directly to her betrothed in the East.

Kouga's father was leader of the Eastern wolf tribe; but had in recent times left the running of the pack to his son. He had taken to spending his 'retirement' with the girl's grandfather in the North, in the hopes that the two pups would eventually catch on and mate.

This knowledge left Sesshoumaru even more agitated than before. The youkai population was already in decline, as the humans continued to multiply like usagi. The deaths of two noble elders and now possibly a third, would throw the youkai hierarchy into chaos.

Kouga knew Lord Sesshoumaru well enough from youkai dealings between the Inu Lord and his father and from running across him in the multitude of scuffles between him and his baka inu-hanyou brother, InuYasha. Aside from the family resemblance, those two had nothing in common. The fact that he was standing here, in this spot, looking towards the North, meant that he was already aware of Naraku's transgressions and intended to step into the fray. No one could deny that Lord Sesshoumaru was the fiercest and probably strongest youkai lord and that having him as an ally, was far better than being on his bad side. There was no need for any words.

Ayame was aware of Lord Sesshoumaru's relationship with her grandfather, as the elder often spoke of the 'pup' fondly, when recalling tales of the Inu's youth. If the daiyoukai was here, it could only be because he was planning on heading to the Northern mountains. She had once thought him cold and callous; but that was before seeing him with his human ward. He obviously held a great amount of respect for her grandfather, if he was willing to put himself at risk for her people; that plus he loved a fight and Naraku had been on his personal radar for quite some time. At this rate, she knew that she wouldn't be surprised to see InuYasha and his pack show up, seeing as how Kagome could always sense the kumo hanyou's destruction.

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Sesshoumaru turned away from the wolves, formed his youki cloud and took off for the hills. He had a niggling sensation of a powerful aura heading towards him ; but he had no patience to see who it was. If they were as great as he thought it was, they would come to him. He looked back a few times, to see the shard-powered whirlwind following behind him, with the other wolves half a mile back. The ookami prince would have to give up his prized boon soon, whether forced by Naraku or peacefully over to Kagome.

Kouga had clearly given up on his claim of making the miko his mate, and moved on to one of his own kind. The Inu smirked at this, remembering how the girl had no desire to be the ookami's 'woman' and had also moved on from her adolescent infatuation with the baka hanyou, leaving her totally unspoken for. Not that he was interested of course – she was nothing but an oddity to him.

The closer he got to the wolf den, the thicker the coppery stench of blood permeated the air. It was mixed with enough miasma to take down an entire army; but Sesshoumaru was immune to most poisons and Naraku's dokugiri was no match for the mighty lord. It would, however deter the wolves from approaching, and they all whined and howled at the barrier that kept them apart from their loved ones.

There was only one being who possessed the ability to defuse the poisoned air and as if by sheer power of thought; a shimmering reishi-charged arrow flew across the sky stopping when it connected with a tree in the middle of the den's outskirts; before a flash of red jumped across the treetops below him.

InuYasha had arrived.

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The inu-hanyou and his pack landed not far from the embedded arrow. Kagome's well aimed projectile had dispersed the majority of the miasma; while her continued presence neutralized the rest. She looked up and over to Sesshoumaru as he alighted from his cloud. He seemed to be quite centered on finding something or rather someone. Once the wolves caught up to the inu-tachi, they all followed the daiyoukai; Ayame holding onto Kouga for moral support, too troubled by what she would see.

At the entrance of the main cave, the stench of death became too much for the kitsune and he was held back by the taijiya and neko, while the others continued forward. All around them lay the dismembered bodies of the white wolf clan. Ayame and Kagome fought the encroaching tears bravely; while InuYasha, Kouga and Sesshoumaru growled in disgust. Miroku held his head down in silent prayer to the Kami for the dearly departed souls. As the lesser wolves ran in search of survivors, the daiyoukai continued to make his way to Yōrōzoku's abode. He didn't need to see what his ears heard in Ayame's heart wrenching scream or Kouga's death howl, as they raced to their fallen kin.

Kouga's father, Kenta had been pulled apart limb by limb, leaving only his torso intact; his head lay not too far from the final resting place of Yōrō-sama's body; a hole left where his stomach used to be. It had been a complete massacre, not a one had been spared, not a female or pup survived to tell the horrid tale. The remnants of Naraku's evil were everywhere you looked, touched, walked and smelled.

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Sesshoumaru turned around and headed back outdoors, overwhelmed by the devastation behind him. His control was so close to snapping, eyes bleeding red and claws and fangs elongating. Kagome felt the Inu's wrathful aura and ran to his side, she couldn't let him transform; he would tear down the entire mountain on top of them. Not knowing what else to do, she wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back; tears streaming down her face and falling onto the silken haori.

He stilled immediately when he felt her arms embrace him; but it was the sound of her crying that stopped the transformation. Her aura was full of sadness and angst and an emotion that she didn't show often - fear. She was afraid for him. He didn't try to move her, choosing instead to just put his hand on her arm, as a sign that all was well.

They stayed in the same position until the rest of the group emerged from the cave. No one commented on the strangeness of the pair, there was too much pain, suffering and anger amongst them to worry about anything else.

Naraku had just made the biggest mistake of his ill-gotten life. There would be hell to pay.


	4. Greed: Wanting more now

**Title: **The Life of a Daiyoukai

**Chapter:** 4: Wanting more now

**Words: **947

**Rating: **K+

**Prompt:** Priestess Skye's Seven Deadly Challenges #4 - Greed

**Summary: **Sesshoumaru's feelings about Kagome take a turn for the needy

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the mere sparks of imagination. Characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ Media et al._

**A/N: This series gets harder and harder to write as it goes on. It's hard to write it only from Sesshoumaru's perspective and without dialog but I am up for the challenge.

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The last few weeks have been hell to deal with. Now I am not one to ever avoid confrontation; but there were definitely a few instances recently where I wished I could hide from the world and forget about all the worries and chaos my status entails.

Ever since the incident in the Northern Lands, where three of the most powerful and influential youkai elders were wiped out by Naraku and his vermin, my lands have become overrun with refugees from the deceased kuma daiyoukai's court and what remains of the Northern wolf tribe, Princess Ayame included.

It had been quickly decided that day that in the interest of safety, she would remain at my Citadel; while her betrothed Kouga joined up with the combined forces of the miko's pack and me, on seeking vengeance for those who had fallen. As if the ookami prince didn't have enough headaches already, with having to assume full responsibility for the Eastern wolf tribe – he had double the vendetta against the kumo-hanyou now.

The miko and her pack have been here at the Citadel since then as well. She has been acting as an intermediary between Kouga, InuYasha and dare I say it, myself during our strategy meetings. My half-brother has gotten subjugated more times in the last week than I keep count of - luckily his head is as hard as rock; unfortunately, my floors are not. The ookami is no better at times. Even with the need for retribution at the forefront of his mind, having InuYasha and Kagome in such close proximity has proven to be too much of a distraction for him. I think there was more posturing and taunting achieved that actual planning. At least I got to take out some of my frustrations on them both, at least when Kagome is not around.

It bothers me though; something I would never willingly divulge to anyone; how this little wisp of a ningen onna can hold so much sway over those two. It nearly rivals my own authoritative temperament. They yell and scream at each other and all it takes is a few composed but stern words from her and they calm down. She has on occasion directed a few of those stinging verbal barbs at me when she deemed it necessary. I have not killed her or attempted to harm her either. I think her impetuous lack of decorum and propriety is starting to grow on me. Odd thing that.

Since she embraced me on the mountaintop, I have come to view her in a different light. She is nothing like the vapid, misguided worm that most ningen are. Of course, it took me a fortnight to recover from her regaled tale of exactly who and where she comes from. I always knew she was not normal – this discovery almost makes her special…almost. Out of everyone, she stands to lose the most if Naraku is not defeated; especially since, this was never her battle to begin with. As the guardian miko of the Shikon jewel, she has risked her life and her future countless times and still manages to hold onto the same beatific innocence that she first had all those years ago.

Her overwhelming munificent presence here has been felt by everyone, youkai and ningen alike. Even the youkai council has seemingly put aside their grudges against ningen, miko more specifically in her case. Her awe-inspiring, astute speech in demand for their complete cooperation in order to facilitate the destruction of Naraku had them all second guessing the value of an educated onna.

When they congratulated me afterwards for my patronage to her cause, I had to withhold the urge to trounce a few of them. What cave had they been hiding in all this time? How many times has the evils of this darkspawn been brought to the podium and nothing ever done? They act as if this was all _new_ news and not a one seemed surprised that it was Takahiro that fell first. The simpering old dodders assume that I am responsible for her upbringing and knowledge of warfare and strategy; when clearly; it was she who took her instruction seriously back in her time. The mere idea that she could be more well-informed about such things leaves me feeling covetous.

They all flock to her like she is an earthbound kami and she finds the time and energy to see to all their needs; but what about mine? She is under my protection, residing within my home and imbibing from my resources and all I have gotten is her affable politeness and the intermittent smile. Can't she see that I am vying for her undivided attention just like half of the Western Lands, male and female, and that I probably deserve it more since I am the daiyoukai?

I will not stand by and watch some contemptible male sweep her off of her feet though. She is far too naïve to realize that she is already in over her head. All the lessons learned from the tajiya and houshi could never have properly prepared her the onslaught of control-hungry propositions and the devious plots to get her to switch alliances. They do not know her like I do. She is not one to swoon over false charms and meaningless offerings of wealth and power, three years of dealing with the spider hanyou took care of that. They do not know who they are toying with. I will castrate anyone who thinks that she is simple and easy because of her loving and gentle nature.

She has always belonged to me; she will always belong to me. She is MINE.


	5. Pride: My way or leave

**Title: **The Life of a Daiyoukai

**Chapter:** 5: My way or leave

**Words: **888

**Rating: **K+

**Prompt:** Priestess Skye's Seven Deadly Challenges #5 - Pride

**Summary: **Sesshoumaru is plotting how to make the miko his, in his own awkward, pig-headish way.

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the mere sparks of imagination. Characters are property of Rumiko Takahashi, VIZ Media et al._

**A/N: Quote from Sun-Tzu, someone I am sure Sesshoumaru would understand.**

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**Patience is a virtue this Sesshoumaru was sadly not born with. It is something that I have had to forcibly learn in this late stage of my life; if only to prevent the unnecessary bloodshed that would no doubt hamper my efforts in pursuing the miko.

It is not my fault that the ookami and the inu-hanyou were born without any common sense or civility.

In the last couple of months that we have been back out on the trail of the depraved kumo and his spawn, those two have been nothing but a hindrance and a never-ending headache for me and the rest of the pack assuredly. It is not even like Kouga is still vying for Kagome's affections anymore. He continually taunts and provokes InuYasha into aimless squabbles just for the hell of it, which always end the same way – Kouga either gets knocked out by Sango's Hiraikotsu or by a well placed punch by me, while the whelp becomes intimately reacquainted with Sarutahiko Okami, kami of the earth.

Of course, all of this feuding leaves Kagome in such a tumultuous mental state afterwards, that our daily trek is usually called to a screeching halt, so that she can either go meditate with Miroku or go unwind in whatever nearby onsen we always seem to amazingly stumble across. I am beginning to think that she has some kind of built-in homing ability when it comes to finding the multitude of sulphuric springs that we have discovered, all without a map.

On more than one occasion, the skirmishes have become so much for her, that I have had to fly her back to the Bone Eater's well on my youki cloud, so she could go back home to her mother and rest in her own time. During these trips, I usually stay close to the well to ensure that InuYasha does not have the audacity to try and go through and drag her back before she is good and ready.

He laughs at me and calls me _'whipped'_, whatever that means. He says that Kagome has me wrapped around her little fingers, even though she isn't even aware that I am trying to court her. The latter is true, as this Sesshoumaru is biding my time before I even think to broach the subject with her. She is a smart onna, maybe she will catch on. Hn.

I am daiyoukai. I have my pride and no simple onna can control me; but if my altruistic acts of kindness in regards to preserving and ensuring her happiness, can be and are being construed as me loosing my touch, well then, so be it.

She is worth the effort.

It took careful strategizing on my part, something I am indeed master of; and many, many discussions with the taijiya and kitsune about the inner workings of Kagome's complex thought structure. She is far more perplexing beneath the awkward, klutzy appearance she projects on the outside than anyone could ever imagine.

Indeed, some of the tales that Sango and Shippou have retold to me have given me cold shivers and night sweats. As strong and powerful as I am, even I am not immune to the fallout from the scorn of an enraged onna and having seen Kagome's wrath on occasion, it was definitely worth getting any and all intel about her, before having to travel with her under more confined conditions_. _

'_Nothing is more difficult than the art of maneuvering for advantageous positions.'_ my old mentor used to say. That could not possibly be truer, especially when it comes to gaining ground with the miko's good graces.

Still there _things_ that this Sesshoumaru refuses to partake in no matter the unforeseeable reward - I have a reputation to maintain.

I will not coddle or defend her when she prattles on about her weaknesses. If she wants to get stronger, I will gladly assist in her training.

I have no patience for endless chatter and complaining, something I am sure she is well aware of that already. Speak when necessary or leave me to my peace.

If there are questions to be asked, ask them for kami sake. Do not waste my time or energy with self-doubt and buffoonery – that is what InuYasha is for.

I am immune to doe-eyed pleading and immature pouting. It does not work for Rin; it will most certainly not work for the miko. She is too old for such childishness.

If she or anyone else in this mishmash of a tachi can not deal with that, then they are welcome to leave at any time. This Sesshoumaru will give no ground to lesser beings. If I even make one exception, then I leave myself wide open to be taken advantage of and that will not do at all.

The mere fact that it is my choice to make the miko my mate puts me at a disadvantage. I do not and probably will never understand ningen onna. Add to that the absurdity of time travel and outlandish futuristic notions and I am woefully out of my element. But I will not back down or cower.

This Sesshoumaru is the only being on this earth that is worthy of mating the miko. I just have to figure out how to make her understand that too.


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